


Speaking in Sentence Fragments

by mybrotherharry



Series: Arrow Drabbles [1]
Category: Arrow (TV 2012), DC Cinematic Universe
Genre: Baby Mama Storyline fix-it, Established Relationship, F/M, Fluff, For reasons, Gen, Love, Olicity fix-it, Romance, Trust, how the Oliver's kid William thing should have gone, so much tooth rotting fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-07
Updated: 2016-12-07
Packaged: 2018-09-07 02:03:53
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,328
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8778838
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mybrotherharry/pseuds/mybrotherharry
Summary: When a tabloid prints a photo of Oliver with another woman, he worries about Felicity’s reaction. She surprises him, like always.AKA the post 4x08 fix-it drabble I just had to write. This is set in an alternate universe in which Felicity and Oliver work through their issues after Oliver lies about William. Canon Divergence from 4x15.





	

**Author's Note:**

> I had posted this drabble to my tumblr after 4x15 aired. Finally sorted through my tags to post to the archive. 
> 
> Warning for tooth rotting fluff, y'all.

Oliver feels his entire world come to a halt when Laurel shows him the cover of the _Starling Inquisitor._

##  Mayoral candidate revisiting playboy days?

Below the screaming headline is a photo of him standing shirtless with his arm around a woman. A woman who certainly isn’t Felicity.

He curses angrily loud in Russian and Chinese, prompting Sara to look aghast.

“That is filthy,” she tells him, smirking. “Even for you, that is filthy. John, cover Sara’s ears.”

Diggle, who is bent over baby Sara’s walker in the corner of the lair, laughs.

“She’s heard worse. Lyla curses like a sailor.”

“Ollie,” Laurel continues, determined to not get sidetracked. “You want to explain the photo?”

“Has Felicity seen it yet? Do you know if she - ”

“Ollie,” Laurel prompts, in her I-am-being-patient-with-you tone.

“Right,” he says, taking in their expectant faces. “Remember when Donna wanted to go to the beach last week, and we made a picnic out of it for William and Sara? That was the lady I rescued from drowning. She was in shock, and she was losing body heat, so I hugged her and gave her my shirt. That’s all.” He pinches the bridge of his nose between his fingers, grimacing.

“So you are not cheating on Felicity?” Diggle asks.

“Wow,” Oliver snaps. “Feeling the love in the room, John.”

“Well,” Laurel responds. “You don’t have the best track record with these things. What?” She looks at Sara, who stares pointedly at the far wall. “It’s true.”

“I am a different person now,” Oliver grits out. “Oh, she is going to kill me. She is going to yell, _and then_ she is going to kill me. And, she is going to throw the ring in my face. Again.”

When Felicity had found out about William, the fallout had not been pretty. Oliver does not want a repeat of that week again. Not ever. He has learned the danger in keeping huge, life-altering secrets from his fiance. And if nothing else, he is a man who learns from his nearly fatal mistakes.

It had taken enormous amounts of groveling, begging and apologizing before she had agreed to speak with him again. In the end, it had been William who had won her over. Felicity had gone with Barry to see Samantha, and to have a conversation with William.

 _“_ He is a wonderful child,” she had said to Oliver later in their living room. “And he deserves to grow up knowing his father, with his family and friends, with people who love him. Because as much as I am angry with you right now, I cannot in good conscience wish on William what I had to grow up with.”

She had leaned forward to kiss away the tears on his cheeks.

“I can’t begrudge you for making the choice I wish my father had made.”

“Don’t be ridiculous, Oliver,” his best friend tells him in the present, picking up Sara to soothe her. “Felicity knows you won’t cheat on her.”

“Oh, just like you did two minutes ago?”

Diggle looks sheepish at that. They are interrupted by Thea who walks in with the godforsaken newspaper in her hand.

“Oliver Jonas Queen, I swear to God,” she says, his pointed heels clicking away on the Foundry floor with a rhythmic tap-tap-tap. “Managing your campaign is like trying to control a bull in a china shop. Are you having an affair? Again?”

Oliver tries really hard to not be hurt by that.

“Why does everyone think that I am cheating on Felicity?”

“You don’t have the best track record with these things,” Thea replies. “The press is playing connect-the-dots and Alex is freaking the hell out.”

“See, that’s what I said,” Laurel mutters to Sara, who ignores her.

“I am not cheating on Felicity,” Oliver states in the calmest voice he can manage in the circumstances. He sits down in Felicity’s chair by her computers, gripping the armrests. “I love her, and I am not cheating on her.”

“Well, good to know,” Thea says. “I am going to have Alex release a statement. You!” She looks at Oliver, gesturing with her fingers at her eyes to denote she is watching him. “Stay out of trouble. If you cause any more PR disasters this week, I will tell Felicity what really happened to her netflix account.”

Oliver puts his head in his hands as she walks away.

“Man, Oliver, it is going to be fine. Just tell her the truth,” Diggle reassures him.

~

Half an hour later, Felicity walks in carrying a pile of folders and her tablet in one hand, and a boxed Flash action figure in the other, babbling away. Oliver notices the Inquisitor on the top of her pile of folders and feels his breath hitch.

“I swear to God,” she rants. “I had the worst morning ever. My board of directors is a bunch of morons. If I hear one more idiot talk about the stock price, I will stab someone with a shoe.” She gets to her spot in front of the computers and sets the action figure on the table. “Here. The latest model. For your ongoing campaign to win father of the year. Out of my chair, Mr. Queen.”

Oliver jerks off the seat, and she settles in, taking off her heels and setting them aside.

“Board of directors are a bunch of sexist pigs, do you know that? There are not enough women in board rooms. I am even starting to sympathize for Isobel Rochev. The company is doing fine, but no, all I hear is a bunch of rich, white men whining about the private jet - what? Do I have something on my face?” she asks, as she pauses and takes in the expression on his face.

“We will give you two a minute,” Diggle says, before filing out of their space.

“What’s going on?” she asks him, concerned. “Uh-oh, you have guilty face. What did you do?”

“Nothing!” He answers, panicked and hurried. “I swear, Felicity, I didn’t do anything - I am not - cheating on you - would never ever - drowning - hypothermia- gave her my shirt - the photo is not what it looks like!” He says finally, pointing at the stupid rag of a tabloid.

“Oliver,” she pulls him forward to kneel on the floor, taking his palms in hers. “Sentence fragments. I panic when you start speaking in sentence fragments.”

He breathes to a count of ten before continuing again.

“The article is all lies. I am not cheating on you.”

“I know that,” she tells him. “That’s the woman you rescued from drowning, yes?”

“Yes, yes, yes!” He tells her emphatically, eyes wide.

“You told me about it,” she reminds him. “That night? You told me about it, and we talked about getting William swimming lessons? Anyway, the point is - I know you are not cheating on me.”

“You do?”

“Of course I do,” she rolls her eyes at him. “Why are you surprised?”

“Because everyone else thought I was!”

She frowns, and her expression turns angry.

“They really should know better,” she says gently, cupping his cheek in her palm. “You were really worried about this, weren’t you?”

He considers her question for a minute before answering.

“I don’t know what I will do if you leave me, Felicity,” he tells her, vulnerable and honest.

“I know last week was difficult. I know I could have handled the situation with William better - ”

“It was not your fault,” he interrupts, unable to watch her take any blame.

“Oliver, sweetheart, I am not going to leave you.”

“I believe you,” he leans forward to kiss her. They separate, her turning back to her computers and booting them up; him, moving her heels to the side and laying out the training mats. They stay in companionable silence for a while, before she says:

“Oliver, what did you do to my Netflix account?”

“I think John is calling me! Bye Felicity!”

“Oliver Jonas Queen!”

**Author's Note:**

> I love comments like Oliver loves Felicity.


End file.
